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Dept for Transport

Answer

Sir Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will include information on the cost of the outstanding repairs to local and strategic road networks in future national road maintenance condition surveys. [206569] Mr. Jamieson: The national road maintenance condition survey measures trends in the condition of national and local road carriageways, footways and verges on an annual basis. It is not the most appropriate place for trends in the total costs of outstanding repairs to highways, which include bridges and street lighting, to be published. Information on outstanding renewals required for local authority street lighting was published in the Department's response to the Transport Select Committee in June this year, based upon robust inventories of the lighting stock and its age and composition. More accurate inventories of the local road and bridge infrastructure stock and condition are now being developed. Along with current research into optimum service levels for the various classes of roads, this will allow better estimates of funding needs to be made in the future. The Highways Agency maintains the strategic trunk road network on the basis of minimising whole life cycle maintenance costs. Through technical assessment of condition data, the correct maintenance is identified and carried out at the optimum time for a particular road, ensuring the network is consistently maintained in the required condition. The road renewals budget is targeted to meet this objective, thus avoiding the build up of repair work.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

206569; 428 c1657-8W;428 c1655W

Session

2004-05

Subjects

Disclosure of information Costs Roads Repairs and maintenance Surveying

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk